


Survival of the Fittest

by saltylikecrait



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action, Eye Trauma, Gen, Mild Blood, Minor Violence, Stormtrooper Culture, Survival, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Summary: Captain Phasma takes the FN cadets on survival training for observation.
Relationships: Finn & FN-2003 | Slip, Finn & Phasma
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20
Collections: Finn Centric Recommendations





	Survival of the Fittest

“Do you think she’s asleep?”

The FN cadets glanced quietly at their commander resting against the base of a massive tree. She was still and hadn’t spoken in hours. 

Ever observant, FN-2187 looked Captain Phasma over. Under her chrome helmet, it was impossible to tell if she was awake or not, but maybe the state of her breathing would give her away. He looked closely at her breastplate, watching for the rise and fall of her chest.

“Aren’t you supposed to be setting up camp?” she snapped, startling him. 

He snapped upwards at attention. “Yes, Captain.” FN-2187 ran back to his squad. “Definitely awake,” he mumbled to them.

They went back to their feeble attempt at making a fire when the only kindling available was wet. Yelsain was a pretty world, full of lush greenery and towering trees, but it also came with its challenges. When they arrived for their observation period, a storm was overhead. The rumbling of thunder warned them this wouldn’t be like the survival training they had under Captain Cardinal. 

Now old enough to start the more vigorous portion of their training, the FN cadets found Phasma to be ruthless and cold, but they couldn’t help but admire her. War-hardened and cunning, she turned every cadet sent her way into a formidable soldier. Her strength and how she commanded an army amazed them. It was no wonder so many stormtroopers aspired to be like her. 

She brought them here to watch them, to observe their actions. They were to survive on this world for 24 standard hours with nothing but the few supplies provided to them. Phasma would not help them. They were on their own with only the hope to impress her fueling their resolve.

Thunder rumbled overhead, the skies still a violent and solid gray.

“Slip,” FN-2000 called. “Try finding us something else. These are soaked.”

The cadet, FN-2003 stood up and walked slumped towards the forest. Out of all ten young stormtroopers that went out for the day, 2003 was the most shaky in skill. He failed more often than succeeded, which was why he was tasked with finding firewood. Even he could pick out decent sticks. 

He wobbled in step, cursing the high oxygen levels of this world. Everyone in the squad had experienced dizzy spells since they arrived. It wasn’t seriously dangerous, but it was inconvenient. 

It was already dark, and the cadets were desperate to get a fire going. He needed to hurry.

A nice-looking branch sat on the ground nearby. It looked freshly broken; the limb cracked in a way that suggested it was torn away by force. 

FN-2003 reached down to pick it up. As he straightened himself, something wet slopped against his helmet.

_“Ugh!”_ He thought a bird just defecated on him. It would be his luck…

A growl rumbled near him. Too close. FN-2003 looked behind him.

Raising up on its hind legs, a massive – larger than a wookiee, even - furry creature roared. Its front limbs stretched out in front of it, showing gigantic claws. Its face looked demonic to the cadet, canine with pointed ears and fangs so large they showed out from under the creature’s mouth.

As the creature opened its mouth to growl, FN-2003 screamed and took off running. 

His scream was heard before he was seen emerging out of the woodland. It alarmed the other cadets who halted the tasks they were undertaking. Captain Phasma, however, stood up with a huff.

“What now? That useless-"

Before she got out the rest of her sentence, however, the creature stormed out of the darkness, roaring and showing his fangs.

Taken aback, Phasma paused for a moment, studying the creature and the cadet it was chasing. Neither seemed particularly intelligent, but she supposed she couldn’t make humans be smart. 

“Cadets,” she commanded. “Blasters ready.”

They were allowed to take weapons on this trip, just in case something like this came up. Phasma would never be dumb enough to leave herself exposed without a way to fight back. Her cadets would know just as well as she did by the end of this. 

They might be willing to die for the First Order, but she wasn’t so foolish to die for any cause.

The FN troops did as she said, aiming at the creature and waiting for FN-2003 to get out of range. The cadet pumped his legs faster, obviously getting ready to jump for it.

And then he tripped.

“Slip!” FN-2187 cried as he rushed over to help his friend. He wobbled in his step, acting almost as clumsy as his fellow squadmate. Dizzy spells from exertion. Just as their commander warned them. It put the cadets at an immediate disadvantage.

The creature raised its paws in the air, ready to strike the pair.

“Now!” FN-2000 called out.

Together, the cadets fired their blasters, hitting the beast in different spots. It growled in annoyance, but the bolts only slightly pierced its tough skin.

Phasma saw this as a problem immediately. She had encountered creatures like this before, but everything had a weakness and she was an expert in finding and extorting whatever it was.

Reaching for one of the compartments of her utility belt, she pulled out a long, thin silver cylinder and with force, jabbed her arm outwards, forcing the metal to contract and lengthen into a spear. She held it outward, poised to fight.

The beast noticed her and turned his attention away from the cadets. Really, Phasma ought to let it go after them, but she couldn’t go back to the _Finalizer_ without them. Even if they were weak, it would look like she was irresponsible to not keep a group of teenagers safe. Her initial response might be to leave weak links behind, but her logic told her this would put her in a bad position.

As the creature drew closer to her, the cadets continued their assault with blasters, still doing little but scratching it. Their captain waited for the right moment. She only needed one moment.

“Captain!” one of the cadets called to her. She paid them no mind.

Just one moment…

The beast towered over her. She could see the whites of its eyes and every single one of its teeth, dripping with saliva.

This was what she was waiting for. Her hunter instincts kicked in, moving her arm almost on autopilot as she aimed for the beast’s eye.

The spear made contact with it, blood oozing from the eyeball immediately as the creature yowled in pain. Pulling the spear away, Phasma aimed again, this time for the shoulder. 

Once she started, she made quick work of the animal.

It was total carnage and within a minute, the beast lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Phasma expected any moment now, even that would cease. 

She turned to the cadets. “Back to the shuttle,” she barked.

The squad didn’t move, looking back and forth between one another unsure. They looked back at their leader.

“Wouldn’t that mean an automatic failure, Captain?” asked FN-2187.

“As much as I would take pleasure in failing you all right now,” she responded, “I am calling off the observation out of concern for our safety. I’ve seen enough and I don’t want to find out what all this blood attracts. But if you are so concerned about completing this training, be my guest and stay behind. I’ll come back in a few days to bury what remains of you.”

Phasma watched the cadets physically flinch, and she felt pleased by this reaction. Then, she added, “But know that failure to follow orders is met with an appointment in Reconditioning.”

That was all the convincing the young stormtroopers needed.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is dedicated to Captain Phasma, who I met in Disneyland. I had a medical emergency and she helped me get to a bathroom by making a crowd move out of the way for me.
> 
> The creature encountered in this story is a Troglith, from one of the older RPG games. There isn't much of a description for the beast, so I imagine it looks like a cross between a grizzly bear and a wolf - a bit like the classic Hollywood werewolves.


End file.
